Seattle - Councilmember Mike O'Brien will join 300 6th grade students from Whitman Middle School, their parents, neighbors and members of Crown Hill Neighborhood Association, Ballard District Council and Ballard Greenways to unveil a new safer route to school.

In 2012, Sidewalks for West Crown Hill and the Crown Hill Neighborhood Association submitted a Neighborhood Park and Street Fund application to improve pedestrian safety for neighborhood students to get to school. The project was prioritized by the Ballard District Council and funds were allocated to pave a gravel pedestrian path to extend 17th Avenue NW and to physically connect NW 89th Street and NW 90th Street. (See before and after photos below for a visual.) The path improves student pedestrian safety by providing an alternative to the busy 15th Avenue NW for youth and families traveling to and from Whitman. The path also has the potential to enhance community pedestrian and bicycle access if a proposed Neighborhood Greenway is constructed on 17th Avenue NW.

WHAT:
The event will include a ribbon-cutting and naming ceremony to unveil the new and improved "Wildcat Way." Once the ribbon is cut, 300 6th graders from Whitman Middle School will then utilize the new pathway as they walk out to Golden Gardens.